Bullets:
“Compute Diplomacy” was a US strategy to dislodge Chinese companies in the Middle East, and compel cooperation with Silicon Valley AI developers.
Bahrain and the UAE hosted large Amazon Web Services data centers, and planned a $30 billion, 5-GW Stargate project.
But Iran targeted AWS facilities in the earliest days of the war, knocking them offline for months.
Cloud Services is Amazon’s primary profit driver, and is a “dual-use” company that serves a wide range of military and commercial clients.
The Stargate project in the UAE is now under review, as the managers wrestle with how to protect the facilities from attack by drones and missiles.
China’s “Token Outbound” economy is ramping up, and is ironically in the best position of all to benefit from Iran’s attacks on data centers in the Gulf.
Closing scene, Zhejiang, near Wenzhou
Resources and links:
UAE and US Presidents attend the unveiling of Phase 1 of new 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2025/05/uae-and-us-presidents-attend-unveiling-phase-1-new-5gw-ai-campus-abu
UAE and US Presidents attend the unveiling of Phase 1 of new 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi
https://ae.usembassy.gov/uae-and-us-presidents-attend-the-unveiling-of-phase-1-of-new-5gw-ai-campus-in-abu-dhabi/
National Security Strategy of the United States of America
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf
Reuters Exclusive: Amazon says AWS’ Bahrain region ‘disrupted’ following drone activity
https://insidetelecom.com/reuters-exclusive-amazon-says-aws-bahrain-region-disrupted
Amazon’s Business Has Never Looked Stronger. The Cash Flow Tells a Different Story.
[
Genuine Impact - Because your money deserves better
Amazon’s Business Has Never Looked Stronger. The Cash Flow Tells a Different Story.
Amazon reported what, on the surface, looks like one of the strongest quarters in the company’s history. Revenue rose 17% year-on-year to $181.5 billion. Operating income increased 30% to $23.9 billion. Net income reached $30.3 billion, up from $17.1 billion a year earlier. AWS grew 28%, its fastest growth rate in 15 quarters. Advertising revenue increased 24%. North America operating income rose 42%. The company guided Q2 revenue to $194–199 billion, implying another 16–19% year-on-year increase…
Read more
4 months ago · 12 likes · Genuine Impact](https://genuineimpact.substack.com/p/amazons-business-has-never-looked?embedding_publication_id=3320368)
Amazon cloud unit flags issues at Bahrain, UAE data centers amid Iran strikes
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2595367/amazon-cloud-unit-flags-issues-at-bahrain-uae-data-centers-amid-iran-strikes
Amazon Data Centers Hit in Iran Strikes, Satellite Images Show
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-28/amazon-data-centers-hit-in-iran-strikes-satellite-images-show
Iran Appears to Be Blasting Amazon Data Centers Off the Map
https://futurism.com/science-energy/iran-blasting-amazon-data-centers-war-usa
Why Gulf data centers became deliberate targets in Iran War
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/saudi-data-center-iran-war
UAE revises AI data center plan after Iranian attacks, sources say
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-revises-ai-data-center-plan-after-iranian-attacks-sources-say-2026-09-11/
UAE revises 5 GW AI project following Iranian strikes
https://beninwebtv.com/en/uae-revises-5-gw-ai-project-following-iranian-strikes/
Is the UAE’s AI Hub Becoming a Target? Semalt’s take: Resilience over scale
https://blocs.xtec.cat/pfabreg3/tacremat-taller-de-creacio-de-materials/taller-de-creacio-de-materials-2018-stop-motion
China’s “eyes” and Iran’s “fist”: Iran dumped GPS, switched to Beidou, and won the war
We were wrong about DeepSeek. Now Chinese AI companies export trillions of AI tokens.
youtube.com/HV0gr3knrTA
Tokens are China’s next goldmine
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/01/WS6a1cc2c4a310d6866eb4baae.html
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